A Game of Thrones MMO makes its GDC debut

BigPoint and Artplant provided an overview of the browser-based, free-to-play MMO A Game of Thrones at GDC this week and IGN was lucky enough to attend the chat and dish on the details.

According to the site, the game will be set during the first book as the title implies, just after the death of a “pretty important character”, as IGN notes. If you’d read the book, you know of whom they are speaking. Playable areas span from The Wall in the North, to the southern areas beyond King’s Landing.

Players will choose one of three major factions to align with at launch for control of Westros: the Lannisters, Baratheons, and the Starks. Players will start off in a lesser house, or a guild, which will choose which main house to align itself with. Guilds can swap allegiance between factions and can offer bribes to entice others to switch sides.

If your faction ends up installing a Hand at King’s Landing, the entire faction gets bonuses for a limited time – however, with the game’s PvP, just like with the novels, putting a Hand in place won’t be an easy task.

PvP will kick off in small arenas across the game world and through skirmishes, the later of which occur dynamically and challenge you to compete specific objectives. Artplant is looking to implement an alert system so players know when a skirmish starts and they will be able to travel to it instantly.

Closer to the endgame, siege battles will occur with players battling for control of castles, forts, and keeps. If the house captures the disputed area, they will be able to gain resources as well as tax the citizens.

Auto-attack options have been skipped, and players will move with the standard WASD key and attack using number keys which correspond to: 1- light, 2-medium and 3-heavy attacks. Combing in each attack in the right manner will trigger combos and even special finishing moves.

Skills are selective as the player levels and at launch there will be 60 available. A weapon leveling system will also be implemented.

Artplant’s working with HBO on this, insofar as the media outlet is sharing assets with the developer from the show.

A closed beta test is set for fall, and the team hope to launch it before the end of 2012.